Partisan composition

Heading into the November 2 election, the GOP holds a majority of seats in the Pennsylvania senate, by a margin of 29-20. Of the 25 seats that are up for re-election in November, 15 of the 25 are currently held by the GOP.

Campaign contributions

This chart shows how many candidates ran for state senate in Pennsylvania in past years and the cumulative amount of campaign contributions in state senate races, including contributions in both primary and general election contests. All figures come from Follow The Money.[1]

Year

Number of candidates

Total contributions

2008

65

$24,543,650

2006

63

$14,917,052

2004

52

$12,825,488

2002

55

$14,065,748

Incumbency analysis

The incumbent is not running for re-election in 3 of the 25 seats up for election in November.

3 incumbent Democrats face a primary opponent (Districts 4, 8 and 32) and no GOP incumbents face primary opposition, which means that in the 22 seats where an incumbent seeks re-election in 2010, only 14% of those incumbents had a primary challenger.

Democratic incumbent LeAnna Washington has a primary opponent but no Republican is in the race come November.

Qualifications

Under Article II of the Pennsylvania Constitution, Senators shall be at least twenty-five years of age and Representatives twenty-one years of age. They shall have been citizens and inhabitants of their respective districts one year next before their election (unless absent on the public business of the United States or of this State) and shall reside in their respective districts during their terms of service.